Alexander Gusev was probably one of the most memorable Soviet defensemen of the 1970s. His style was based on both exceptional athletic strength and outstanding technical skills. As a result of this, he was equally strong in defense and offense. His mastery of hard-hitting physical game made him one of the toughest Soviet blueliners to pass by in the 1970s. His flashy puck handling skills and extremely strong slapshot made him one of the top scoring defensemen of all time.

Gusev was a graduate of the Red Army youth hockey program where he began to play in 1957. In 1967, he had his debut with the CSKA in the Soviet elite league and soon became one of the best blueliners of this legendary club. Gusev stayed with the CSKA for the most of his career.

As a CSKA and national team player of the mid 1970s, Alexander Gusev played in many top international tournaments including World Championships and Olympics, Canada Cup 1976 and various Superseries in North America. He was a member of Team USSR at the legendary '72 Summit Series.

In 1974, Gusev was in the prime time of his career. He was one of the most noticeable defensemen of the Soviet roster and managed to score 3 goals in 8 games including game winning goal in Game 5.

In 1977, Victor Tikhonov was appointed as head coach of the CSKA and Team USSR. The new head coach actively pursued rebuilding of the team by bringing in younger players. Many of the Soviet hockey legends had a choice of retirement or transferring to the other clubs. Alexander Gusev ended his career playing for the "baby Red Army club", SKA Leningrad.

Member of the Russian Hockey Hall of Fame (1973), Alexander Gusev retted from playing hockey in 1979.